SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Crunch, Utica Comets, Binghamton Devils and Rochester Americans have partnered with the American Red Cross to announce the New York Hockey Gives Blood initiative and host concurrent blood drives on Friday, April 17 from 12 to 6 p.m.

The New York Hockey Gives Blood initiative allows fans in Syracuse, Utica, Binghamton and Rochester an opportunity to support local blood supplies during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

"We greatly appreciate the partnerships we have formed with the teams in Utica, Binghamton and Rochester in addition to the support from Onondaga County and ASM Global, the managers of the Upstate Medical University Arena," said Crunch Owner Howard Dolgon. "We hope this initiative inspires everyone who can to please donate blood in this time of great need."

The blood drives will be held at the Upstate Medical University Arena at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, Adirondack Bank Center at 400 Oriskany St. W in Utica, the Christ Episcopal Church at 10 Henry St. in Binghamton and a soon to be determined location in Rochester. The drives will be operated by the American Red Cross and follow precautions to maintain social distancing requirements in a safe and sanitized space. Eligible donors must make an appointment and follow appointment directions to ensure the safety of all donors and blood drive personnel.

Healthy individuals are encouraged to register at www.redcrossblood.org using sponsor code "Syracuse" to reserve a time to donate at the Upstate Medical University Arena. Fans may use sponsor code "Utica", "Binghamton" or "Rochester" to select other New York Hockey Gives Blood locations. Individuals can also register over the phone at 1-800-RED CROSS or through the Red Cross Blood Donor app.

Fans who would like to support the New York Hockey Gives Blood initiative with a monetary donation can text "NYHOCKEY" to 76278 or visit www.syracusecrunch.com/NYHockey.

Tickets packages for the 2020-21 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch.